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Taliesin
Taliesin was the Lord of the Andain after he sealed and deposed Kagetsu I at the end of the War of the Andain. He was unflaggingly loyal to the gods, especially his father Cardia, and instituted a policy of nonintervention in mortal affairs until Kagetsu was unsealed by Leon Alcibiates in the Second Age. Taliesin was killed in the Explosion which ended the Arawn Losstarot War, but he was summoned back to life as a shade known as the Shadow in the Third Age. He has recently recovered his memories and past shape although he remains in a shifting form which is signifcantly weaker than his original Andain body. Biography Early Years War of the Andain Taliesin's date of birth is lost in the mists of time, but it is known that his father was Cardia. Unlike most Andain, Taliesin had a brother with whom he shared both parents, Pooka. Pooka was younger and unquestioningly loyal to Taliesin. More info later. A Renewed Conflict Taliesin was the one who helped Leon Alcibiates to discover his Andain powers. He was forced to let Arawn Losstarot run wild in order to have some power to counter Kagetsu with, and this inaction on his part resulted in the eventual Arawn Losstarot War. More info later. First Death Kagetsu used the power of Krystallopyr and the lifeforce of all living Andain, including Taliesin, to destroy himself and Arawn during the Second Battle of Lea Monde. The strategy worked, but Taliesin hadn't realized that it was all part of Kagetsu's gambit to fulfill his original goal albeit with a few alterations. Instead of killing the gods, Kagetsu decided to use Krystallopyr's power to kill off all the living Andain and distribute their powers to mortals. When Taliesin figured out Kagetsu's master plan, it was already too late. Krystallopyr shattered, and Arawn, Kagetsu, Taliesin and every Andain died in the resulting Explosion which ended the Arawn Losstarot War. Their powers were absorbed by the mortals who survived, which resulted in the birth of Innate Abilities. The Third Age had begun. Taliesin and his brethren were finally at peace in the embrace of death... or so he believed. Distreyd Era Birth of the Shadow More info later. Hunt for the Emerald Blade More info later. Godslayer Era A Game of Deception More info later. Echoes of War Ax succeeded in locating and saving Marcus from the kidnappers. As the heroes fled from the Ruined Kingdom, the temple collapsed, shattering the mirror within. The Shadow materialized into the world once more, but he soon realized that other shadows had joined him. He assumed this was because the mirror had broken, but his thoughts were soon interrupted when he met a cloaked woman who referred to herself as Zenobia. The Shadow was about to attack the woman simply because he did not like her scent when Zenobia suddenly revealed a smaller shadow next to her and referred to that other shadow as Pooka. Pooka said a few cryptic words and approached the Shadow, hugging him all of a sudden. The act seemed to trigger something in the Shadow's mind, and memories flooded into him from the endless love that poured out of Pooka. It was then that the Shadow finally remembered everything, and he realized that he was Taliesin reborn albeit in a different, weaker form. Zenobia told the Shadow, Taliesin, that her Master would contact the Shadow later and explain everything and help the Shadow break free from the geas of servitude to Xerathas. Shadow Taliesin wanted to know more and was about to answer when he felt his master, Xerathas, calling for him. He said an agonized goodbye to his brother, Pooka, and teleported to Xerathas. The Shadow interrupted a tender moment between Ax and Refan who were startled by his sudden appearance. No one, not even the Shadow's master Xerathas, knew the Shadow's true, recovered identity, and so he was content with keeping the act up for the time being as he resumed his position as Xerathas's servant. A Crimson Dawn The Shadow helped Xerathas kidnap King Gerard Aurelac although he came close to killing him. Xerathas wondered why the Shadow showed such animosity, but the Shadow preferred not to answer. The reason for his behaviour was to defeat the descendants of his archenemy Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul who he had fought against as Taliesin, but he wanted to keep this secret from Xerathas for the time being. More info later. Tears of the Sun The Winds of Wrath Sowing Season The Shadow travelled to Alent with Xerathas to seek counsel from Kamen Grimgaze, the Master of the Totenkopfs. However, the Shadow revealed his true colours once the duo met with Drishnek, who was posing as the mysterious Teacher, and betrayed Xerathas. The Shadow felt this action justified because Xerathas worshipped the Godslayer who had slain the gods whom the Shadow had held dear as Taliesin. Drishenk rewarded the Shadow for these deeds and gave him back his original Andain body sans actual Andain powers. The Shadow could finally put his shade self behind him and take back the name Taliesin, Lord of the Andain. Aliases and Nicknames ; Lord of the Andain : amongst postwar Andain. ; My Lord : amongst postwar Andain. ; Tal : used by those close to him. ; The Shadow : Used by people who referred to his shadow form. Appearance Taliesin is tall, dark, and... well, not particularly handsome. Some say he's like a spitting image of Leon, except darker when he's in his human form. His animal form is a gray fox with a patch of red fur running behind each ear, and he often prefers it over the human form. Taliesin's shade form, the Shadow, wore a black cloak of the Clergy of Mardük and had glowing, red eyes. After he regained his memories, he took back his old humanoid shape. Personality and Traits Taliesin didn't make many of his own decisions; he was fanatically loyal to the Gods and did whatever they said, even to the point of opposing the Alliance's choice to seal Mardük because "He is a God and must be obeyed." He hated Kagetsu with a passionate intensity and was willing to sacrifice the world to Arawn Losstarot in order to defeat Kagetsu after he returned. Powers and Abilities In his Andain form Taliesin could do anything, but didn't do much--it was unnecessary as he usually didn't have to demonstrate his power to lesser beings. He could easily fight as an equal against Kagetsu I in both swordplay and use of magic, and he regarded himself as the best swordsman who had ever roamed the earth. As the Shadow he's capable of regenerating himself and taking shapes of other people as well as turning his body parts into dangerous weapons of various shapes and sizes. His spell use is considerably more limited than in his earlier Andain form but he's still a formidable opponent. Taliesin can also shapeshift into a gray fox. Relationships Cardia Taliesin, the Lord of the Andain, was Cardia's son as well as one of the god's greatest agents who ensured that Kagetsu was sealed and that mortal heroes would acquire necessary items to defeat Mardük's pawns in various wars. He was utterly loyal to the gods (including the dark ones), but his respect for Cardia was above anyone else. When Taliesin and all the other Andain were killed in the Explosion, it shocked Cardia who had lost one of the few beings he could trust. Kagetsu I Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul was Taliesin's archenemy. When Kagetsu tried to destroy the world, Taliesin sealed him into a stone and took his title of the Lord of the Andain. Once Kagetsu was released, Taliesin opposed him in every turn, but in the end Taliesin had to put their differences aside and lend his power to Kagetsu in order to destroy Arawn Losstarot who was about to enslave the world. Kareth d'Zarnagon Kareth, at that time known as Zarnagon, performed the summoning ritual and accidentally fused his shadow with Taliesin's essence. The Shadow remained as Zarnagon's loyal servant until Zarnagon became part of the Godslayer, at which point the Shadow became the minion of Zarnagon's son Xerathas. Leon Alcibiates Leon was Taliesin's apprentice and revered him. Taliesin taught Leon how to harness Andain magic but also used him as an unwilling delivery boy, and Leon never fully realized that he was being manipulated all the time. Pooka Pooka is Taliesin's brother. They have the same parents and thus are closer than any other Andain. Pooka has often been referred to as Taliesin's weak spot since Taliesin cares more about him than anyone else, save the gods. Refan d'Zarnagon Taliesin, while still being the Shadow, was tasked to hunt down Refan and bring back his sword to Zarnagon. His repeated failures to kill the thief made him obsess about killing him but he never fully succeeded despite growing more and more powerful after each encounter. With his memories restored, Taliesin doesn't care much about Refan anymore. Xerathas d'Zarnagon Xerathas was the master of Taliesin who was stuck in the Shadow form. However, the Totenkopfs managed to restore Taliesin's memory and made him rebel against Xerathas by reminding him that Xerathas was serving the Godslayer who opposed the gods whom Taliesin had used to serve in the past. See also *Cardia *Gordius Highwind *Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul *Kareth d'Zarnagon *Pooka *War of the Andain *Xerathas d'Zarnagon Category:Aison Category:Andain Category:Characters Category:Clergy of Cardia Category:Clergy of Mardük Category:Grey Cult Category:First Age Category:Second Age Category:Third Age